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The United States has imposed sanctions on eleven companies or individuals from China, North Korea or the United Arab Emirates for transferring technology to Iran that it claimed could boost the country’s ballistic missile program.The US State Department said on Friday nineteen more firms or individuals were sanctioned for other violations under the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA), which Washington uses to slap sanctions on foreign individuals, private entities, and governments accused of being involved in proliferation activities.The sanctions will be effective for two years and do not apply to these individuals and entities’ respective countries or governments, the department explained. According to the statement, the eleven entities sanctioned under the INKSNA for transfers to Iran’s missile program are:Beijing Zhong Ke Electric Co. Ltd. (ZKEC) (China)Dalian Zenghua Maoyi Youxian Gongsi (China) Jack Qin (Chinese individual) Jack Wang (Chinese individual) Karl Lee [aka Li Fangwei] (Chinese individual)Ningbo New Century Import and Export Company Limited (China)Shenzhen Yataida High-Tech Company Ltd (China) Sinotech (Dalian) Carbon and Graphite Corporation (SCGC) (China) Sky Rise Technology [aka Reekay Technology Limited] (China) Saeng Pil Trading Corporation (SPTC) (North Korea) Mabrooka Trading (United ArabEmirates).This comes a day after a bipartisan group of US senators in Congress introduced a bill that would impose tighter sanctions against Iran over its ballistic missile tests and other non-nuclear activities. In this March 9, 2016 photo obtained from the IranianFars News Agency, a Qadr H long-range surface-to-surface missile is fired by Iranian Armed Forces.

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The US Treasury Department said Washington had imposed sanctions on 13 individuals and 12 entities as part of an effort to ratchet up pressure on Iran over its missile program.The United States claims that Iran's missile tests violated Resolution 2231 that endorsed the Iran nuclear agreement.Tehran insists its missile tests do not breach any UN resolution because they are solely for defense purposes and not designed to carry nuclear warheads. --- ---...